His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Isabella’s POV

I didn’t know what I expected in the morning.

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49

Maybe to wake up and find the night before was a fever dream. That we were still in our soft little apartment in Florence. That the world wasn’t closing in on us.

But it clearly hadn’t been so.

Once I’d helped Mateo freshen up, I grabbed his hand and decided to go downstairs for breakfast, relying on my memory from last night to guide us there.

Before I could open the door, a gentle knock came, and the door cracked open.

Dominic stood there, now changed and looking a bit more awake, dressed casually in a black Henley and dark pants, sleeves rolled up.

The look suited him more than those immaculate suits. Almost too well.

He lingered in the doorway as if unsure he had permission to enter.

“Breakfast is ready,” he said, voice soft. “You both should eat.”

My stomach twisted. Hunger and nerves made uneasy companions.

“Come, Mamma,” Mateo said, already dragging me along, excitement renewed by the promise of blueberry pancakes and a pool. “Let’s goo0!”

I forced myself to smile. “Alright. Let’s go.”

When we finally made it downstairs, Maria led us into a sunlit dining room that overlooked a sprawling garden.

The table was full of a lot of things.

Fresh fruit. Eggs. Pancakes stacked like some bakery display. Orange juice that looked freshly squeezed. Coffee that smelled like heaven.

Mateo’s eyes widened. “This is a feast!”

“It’s breakfast,” Dominic said with a flicker of amusement.

“Same thing,” Mateo decided.

He climbed into a chair, right between Dominic and me. Of course.

I sat rigidly, unsure what to do with my hands. Or my breathing.

Dominic poured me coffee without asking, just the way I used to like it. I was surprised he still remembered. It felt too intimately familiar, sending a jolt through me.

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Chapter 20

“I remember,” he murmured when I didn’t reach for the cup right away.

I swallowed hard.

“Thank you,” I whispered, because I wasn’t willing to start another shouting match over coffee.

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Mateo swung his legs happily as he dug into a pancake, humming under his breath like we were on vacation instead of hiding from violent criminals.

“After breakfast, we can see the pool!” he announced.

My heart stuttered. Swimming would mean I couldn’t keep my hands on him every second.

“That sounds fun,” Dominic said. “And we have floaties. Just in case.”

Mateo grinned, cheeks stuffed with pancake.

I forced myself to breathe.

Dominic was trying. That terrified me almost as much as yesterday had.

Because when Dominic wanted something, he usually got it.

And Mateo already liked him. Easily. Naturally.

How could he not?

Dominic wasn’t all cruelty and cold steel. There had always been a softer part of him, buried under the weight of his father’s expectations. The man at this table looked closer to that hidden version.

Watching him glance sideways at Mateo, gentle, protective, amazed, made something tight coil in my chest.

Stop. I told myself forcefully. Feelings were dangerous.

“Can I have more?” Mateo asked, pointing to the pancake platter.

Dominic beat me to the answer. “Of course. You can have as many as you’d like.”

Mateo cheered and reached greedily. Dominic steadied the plate so he didn’t knock it over.

“Hey, take smaller bites,” I warned gently. “We don’t want you choking.”

“She’s right,” Dominic said, soft but firm. “Slow down, piccolo.”

The nickname. The warmth. My throat seemed to close.

This, the two of them interacting like it was the most natural thing in the world, was everything I had once hoped for.

Everything I had convinced myself I didn’t need anymore.

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Chapter 20

My pulse spiked.

I needed space.

“Excuse me,” I murmured, pushing my chair back.

Dominic’s gaze followed me. Concern shadowed his expression, but he let me go.

I stepped out into the cool hallway, leaning against the wall until my heartbeat steadied.

I couldn’t let Dominic back in.

Not after the wreckage I’d barely survived the first time.

But then Mateo’s laughter traveled down the hall, loud and bright and free.

And I wondered if I was already too late.

***

49

Dominic’s POV

She was slipping.

Not away, not like before, but into herself. Into fear. Into all the walls she’d built to stay standing.

I wanted to follow her into the hallway. Force the truth into the open. Tell her she could lean on me now, that I would never let anything hurt her again.

But Mateo looked up at me with blueberry jam on his cheek and joy on his face, and I stayed where I was.

“For you.” He handed me a pancake he’d decorated with strawberries into a very lopsided smiley face.

I stared at it, throat tightening.

“Thank you,” I said, meaning every word.

“You gotta eat too,” he insisted. “So you can get big and strong.”

I almost laughed. Almost cried.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He swung his legs and grinned. “Mamma says boys grow tall if they eat good food.”

“Your mother is a very smart woman,” I said quietly.

He nodded like it was the most obvious truth in the world.

A moment passed. Then, “Isabella?” I called gently towards the doorway.

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She returned reluctantly, tension still clinging to her like armor.

Mateo gasped dramatically. “Mamma, look! He’s eating my pancake!”

She managed a weak smile. “I see that.”

I met her eyes across the table.

“We’ll find a new school for him here,” I said. “Somewhere secure.”

“No,” she said immediately. “This is temporary.”

Mateo looked between us, sensing the shift.

I kept my voice calm. “Nothing is temporary when it comes to his safety.”

Her eyes narrowed. “He has friends. A life. I won’t let you erase that.”

“I’m trying to protect him.”

“I can protect him,” she snapped.

Her voice shook. With anger. And fear.

Mateo’s hand curled around her sleeve. “Are you fighting again?”

We both froze.

Instant truce.

“No,” I said gently. “We’re just talking. Grown-up talk.”

He studied us for a long moment. “Okay. But grown-ups talk

very

loud sometimes.”

I huffed a laugh. Isabella’s lips twitched despite herself.

The silence that followed wasn’t peaceful, but it wasn’t war either.

Progress.

Mateo wiped his hands on a napkin. “Can we swim now?”

“Give

your

mother a moment,” I said.

He looked up at Isabella, eyes hopeful, trust absolute.

And I envied that trust so badly it hurt.

She exhaled, then ruffled his curls before looking at me. “Are our things here?”

I nodded instantly. “They’ve been placed in the room you’re staying in.”

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Isabella turned to Mateo again. “Go get your swim shorts from the bag. I’ll be right there.”

Mateo darted off, excitement guiding his feet.

Leaving us alone.

The air tightened immediately.

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49

“You don’t have to like this,” I said quietly. “You just have to stay alive long enough to understand why I’m doing it.”

She held my gaze, defiance bright in her eyes. “Don’t expect gratitude for the situation you made necessary.”

“I expect nothing from you,” I replied. “But Mateo-”

Her spine stiffened. “Don’t use him.”

“I’m not.” My jaw locked. “I just want time with my son.”

Her eyes flickered, wounded and uncertain, but not angry.

She stared at me for a long moment, like she was deciding in her mind whether it was a good idea to let me close to Mateo or not.

“Let’s go,” she finally whispered. “He’s waiting.”

And in that tiny surrender, letting me be part of this moment, a door cracked open.

Not much.

But enough.

We walked out towards the pool together.

Beside each other.

Not yet a family.

But no longer strangers.

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21:45 Wed, Jan 14 d.

Chapter 21